Bismarck weekly tribune., 1887-09-23

Of them are a damage to the country and
to the railroads. They will live for years
and never cultivate forty acres, while they
own five or six hundred. One Illinois or
all have money is worth a dozen poor en-
igrants. The eastern farmer who sells out
his farm and goes to western Minnesota or
Dakota would be a capitalist. He could
buy farm OF some of the land poor crea-
lures who live in sod houses or shanties,
OF, and raise q family OF children in luxury
and help develop a country that it will take
half a century to develop with pauper fam
lilies from Europe. Discharge all emigrant
agents and seek farmers in well settled
states who want to go west, but who will
not do SO if they have to burn hay. aAnd
how will you prevent their burning hay %
somebody will ask. just this way. 1
would have every car that now goes west
empty after wheat carry coal. I would
have railroads make a speciality of laying
down soft coal at every station at absolute
cost, say 81 ton. 1t can be bought for
$1.50 a ton at the mines of Illinois or Iowa.
1t would be no worse than carrying many
other things free that railroads carry, in
cluding bald-headed editors. Let them
charge for the actual wear and tear Of
trains and for help, and they could furnish
coal at ~ ton to farmers and residents of
CuN loi WOoe dAu tLCy WOulu uOG lUSS d UOl-
lar. Then advertise all over Gods creation
that for the next ten years coal. would be
furnished to actual settlers on those vast
pralrleS at SS2 a ton, and there would be an
emigration of farmers who have money,
aid who know how to farm, diversity
crops and make money. They would buy
out those poor devils who are struggling
under load of debt with their hundreds
of acres of uncultivated land, and the
whole country would boom and be covered
with nice houses, and happy people would
drive bloOded horses into the thriv-
ing little towns. The station agents could
handle the coal, weighing, etc, and the
into their wagons if they could get it cheap.
The coal dealers that now take the last dol
lar man has got could quit business, and
in ten years railroad owners would thank
me for the suggestion here made and may
be give me pass over all lines. Let the
different railroads compete, with each other
TO see now cheap they can lay down coal
for the farmers, as well as to compete on
the price they pay for wheat, and an era Of
prosperity will commence out that Way
that will cause the halr to raise on the
heads OF those directors who pay their an
nual visit to the west. do not know as
any railroad owners will read this, and it
not will some day get all the railroad di-
rectors and managers together in room
and lock the door and deliver them lee
ture mile long, on show to run railroads
so people will love them.' If am doing
business with a class Of people, it does not
do me any good to have those people look
upon me as highway robber who wants
to get every dollar they have got, and
laugh at them when have got it all, and
they have gone to the poor house. That is
about the way the majority of set
tiers in the far west look at railroads. Such
state of things is not deserved by rail-
roads, but it exists just the same, and that
feeling can be changed into one of respect
it the railroads will show that they have
all earnest desire to benefit the farmers
and will meet them half way in attempt
ing to solve the fuel question. I will be
happy to meet any railroad owner or man.
ager at any time and argue with him on
this subject until he is bald headed.
know am right and the railroads are
wrong. If l help the western farmers in
this matter: I help the railroads more, and
it does not hurt me. My war cry from this
out is '':give Minnesota and Dakota farm
ers coal at So a ton," and you will see a
country developed so quick that it will
make your heads swim.